Detroit Tigers: Andrew Romine plays all nine positions in one game

Detroit Tigers utility extraordinaire Andrew Romine played all nine positions Saturday evening in Minnesota.

In a season to forget for the Detroit Tigers, Andrew Romine made it one to remember, joining a quartet of former Major League players in a rare feat yesterday evening.

Romine is now the fifth player in Major League Baseball history to field all nine positions in a single game, the first since Shane Halter for Detroit late in the 2000 season. Ironically, Detroit’s manager Brad Ausmus was playing for the Tigers in that game 17 years ago, while this time around he was the man in charge of making all the moves in this crazy position carousel.

Earlier in the season, Romine extensively broke-down each of the gloves he has for each fielding position with Fox Sports Detroit, giving us the scoop in a June 7th interview, a foreshadowing of things to come:

Flash-forward about three months later and Romine was able to show off his skills with each glove within a nine-inning span. Before the game, the utility guru told the Detroit Free Press: “Why not? Let’s do it.”

Tigers beat-writer Jason Beck documented history via Twitter, expressing his baseball fanboy within:

Here’s an inning by inning breakdown of Romine’s historic evening in Minnesota:

• 1st inning: Left Field
• 2nd inning: Center Field
• 3rd inning: Right Field
• 4th inning: Third Base
• 5th inning: Shortstop
• 6th inning: Second Base
• 7th inning: Catcher and Second Base
• 8th inning: Pitcher and First Base
• 9th inning: First Base

Ausmus had a gameplan for this challenging venture, releasing his preparations to DFP’s Anthony Fenech:

After the game, Romine described the emotion and excitement he experienced during this historical evening in the Twin Cities:

Relief. Happiness. You name it, I’m feeling it right now. It was so much fun.

The most impressive part of the evening was when Romine retired Twin’s All-Star Eddie Rosario in a high pressure situation, helping the Tigers secure the 3-2 victory while becoming the first position player to enter an MLB game in a save situation, which officially became a statistic in 1969, earning his first career hold in the process.

The utility-man even hit 87 MPH on the radar gun, showing off his canon of an arm. The do-it-all Tiger also went 1-for-3 at the plate, with a walk.

Next: Chicago Cubs: Did they go overboard in their St. Louis celebrations?

Romine began the evening by putting away the first out in left field, also ending the game by fielding an unassisted put-out at first base. Ausmus could not have drawn this up better himself, in a dream night for Romine and the Tigers.